Lost and Found
by IcyPanther
Summary: [Season Five Spoilers] Something is wrong with Shiro. Lance can feel it. He's determined to find answers and returns to the Astral Plane to do so. All is most definitely not as it seems and it's going to be up to Lance to save the day. If, well... he can save himself first. / "Sh-Shiro," he choked out. A dark laugh sounded behind him. "Come now. We both know that's not true."


**Warning notes:** Um, big one here is season five spoilers. Don't read if you haven't seen season five. Otherwise, a bit of violence but nothing crazy.

 **Timeline notes:** See above. Completely canon-compliant through the season.

 **Fic notes:** I don't understand what "hiatus" means, apparently. Blame this season. I had so many thoughts and I needed to get them down. I loved all of the Shiro(and Kuron)and Lance moments and the potential angst and development for all of them and just… yup. Here I go. Enjoy!

 **xxx**

 **xxx**

 **Lost and Found**

 **xxx**

"Hey, Black. Can, I, uh, talk to you for a minute?"

Lance's words echoed about the cavernous hangar that housed the Black Lion and he took another tentative step in to where Black was regally sitting.

He hadn't been here since he'd tried all those months ago to become Black's Paladin and the sheer vastness of the hanger compared to both Blue and Red's made him feel so very, very small. He knew Black hadn't chosen him and he really had no right to ask anything of her, but… he needed her help.

Black's particle barrier wasn't active and Lance took that as an invitation to come closer, pausing right next to one of her massive paws. He craned his neck back, catching sight of her yellow eyes but she did not turn her head down to meet his gaze.

"So. Um. I need your help."

Black didn't so much as blink.

Lance took a deep breath and pushed on. He hadn't come this far to chicken out because Black wasn't responding. And maybe if she didn't respond at all then he was imagining all of this and he'd have his answer then. Yes. Good. Good thought. He mentally patted himself on the back.

"Here's the deal," he said, voice steadier than he felt. "When we were on Olkari and we all had to go into the Astral Plane to fight off that weird tech virus creature Shiro tried to say something to me. I… I think it was important." At least, it felt that way. Because there had been something in Shiro's voice, something that even now made the hair on Lance's neck raise.

" _Lance. Listen to me."_

The words echoed in his mind and he frowned at the memory and the confusion it brought. What had Shiro been trying to tell him? What was so important but yet not that Shiro had forgotten it upon their return to reality?

"He can't remember what it was though," Lance continued. "I… was wondering if maybe it had something to do with the Astral Plane? And, um, I know you can take people there. And I was wondering if… if you could help me get there."

Still nothing.

Lance worried his lip between his teeth, torn between respect for the Black Lion and this uneasiness that was creeping in on him.

" _I don't feel like myself."_

Shiro's quiet, whispered confession just a few varga ago had unsettled what peace Lance had been able to find as they once more came back to the topic of what had happened in the Astral Plane.

 _That_ had been the push that propelled Lance here, seeking answers that he hoped the Black Lion could help him find. Because if _anyone_ could understand what Shiro had been saying it would be his Lion, right?

It wasn't just this though. Shiro had been acting… off since he'd returned to them, but it had gotten significantly worse the last couple days. From going off plan and arming Lotor with the Black bayard to then taking Lotor to the Kral Zera when they had voted against that… not to mention he could still hear Shiro's harsh tones – _"I'm the leader and this is my decision," – "Lance, this is not your call" –_ and it _hurt._

The Shiro he admired always listened to his team. He was their leader because he _led_ them, he didn't order them. But that Shiro had been slowly disappearing and Lance couldn't say anymore it was entirely stress. Allura was under just as much if not more and yet she was not snapping at her team, secluding herself and training non-stop and only speaking to them when they had missions or plans to discuss.

Something was wrong. And if he could just get to the Astral Plane he had a feeling he'd find at least something that would answer his questions.

"Black, please," he said quietly, placing a slender hand on her paw. "I… I think Shiro needs help. Something is _wrong."_

And finally, _finally,_ Black responded. It was with a roar that echoed inside his head and Lance winced at the sudden, overwhelming worry that pressed in on his own mind.

He staggered slightly at the mental onslaught as _wrongwrongwrong_ wrapped about him and his stomach heaved in reaction, barely managing to swallow back the acid taste of bile before he pulled a Hunk.

"Bl-Black?" he stuttered.

In answer the Lion moved, lowering her body so that her head rested on the floor and extended her ramp. An invitation to come in.

Still reeling from the Lion's feelings. Lance slowly made his way up, his own fears compounding as Black's essence pressed harder upon him and the sick feeling did not abate. It only seemed to be getting worse and by the time Lance had stumbled his way into the cockpit he wasn't sure how he hadn't actually puked yet. His head was pounding and he moaned low in his throat as he collapsed in the chair, pressing his hands to his head as though that could ease the pain.

All at once it shut off like someone had flipped a switch and the sudden absence was just as jarring.

There came then a tentative link, a sorrow and Lance patted the console. "It's all right, girl. I'm… I'm a little scared too."

And more so now than he had been before he'd ventured to talk to Black. Lance vaguely wondered if he should have told someone where he was going just in case something happened, but he shook his head. It was going to be fine. Just him and Black and Black would never hurt him.

Just… just like Shiro never would and yet… Lance shuddered at the remembered tones as Shiro had snapped at him, had yelled at Allura too. The Shiro he knew would never hurt him. But Shiro right now wasn't acting like himself. Just like he'd said.

And Lance was going to get to the bottom of this. First step was the Astral Plane but if it didn't yield answers then he would go elsewhere. Maybe Allura with her new alchemic knowledge would have some ideas.

"Okay, so what do I have to do?" Lance asked, settling himself more comfortably in the chair that still felt much too big. It almost felt like intruding – this was not his Lion – but he was doing it to help Shiro. That was good enough reason for him to be there.

Black's presence came back in his mind, and while still stronger than Red or Blue it was not the painful intensity of before and he had the sudden urge to close his eyes and stretch his own quintessence out to meet hers.

A pleased purr sounded then and he relaxed into it, feeling the vastness of space and sky that Black represented and he met it with his own blue, calming waves and flowing rivers. It almost felt like they were moving then and he peeked open an eye, choking on his next inhale as space rushed past him in a dizzying whirl.

Pictures were flashing past them, memories Lance realize after a tick, but too fast to focus on. He caught glimpses of his family, of home. He saw his team and space family fighting and smiling and laughing. He saw people they'd saved, people they hadn't, explosions, fights, fire and he wrenched his eyes closed as it all became too much.

Focus. He needed to focus. He had come here for a reason.

Shiro.

Lance let out a breath and conjured up a picture of Shiro and all that there was to him. Leader. Hero. Pilot. Dork. Brother. Confident. Terrible cook. He smiled at those memories, letting them wash over him. But that wasn't all Shiro was. He was an ex-slave. Champion. He struggled although he tried to hide it. He was scared too. He was overprotective. He worried so, so much about them. Still, that was their Shiro. Their Black Paladin.

New images and words filtered in then. Commander. Sharp. Confused. Angry. Scared. Lost. Lance frowned. Those were right too but they were also… wrong. Still, he brought them into his mold, casting out his net for something, anything, in this abyss of space.

And with a screeching halt Lance was catapulted from Black's chair and through the front windshield with a loud yelp of surprise, although there was no resistance and no pain of broken glass eating into flesh. He just… went right through it.

He landed on what he could only describe as stardust clouds, no sense of impact but yet they felt solid. He pulled himself to his feet, brushing off his arms and pants even though nothing had stuck to them and looked around. This part of the Plane looked no different from any other part, yet it was where Black had stopped, the Lion hovering just above the clouds and yellow gaze straightforward.

"Hello?" Lance called out, taking a cautious step on the weird surface. His voice echoed back to him.

"Shiro?" he tried again, taking a few more hesitant steps and shooting a glance over his shoulder to make sure Black was still there. She was, wreathed in a black-purple glow just like the blue that enveloped him.

"Shiro, are you here?"

 _Here here here_ repeated back and Lance shivered, rubbing his hands on his arms. They had to have stopped for a reason. Shiro, or answers or _something_ had to be here.

What was he not seeing?

Lance pivoted in a full circle, but the landscape remained unchanged.

"Black, are you sure we're in the right spot?" he asked the stationary Lion and he received the barest affirmation brush his mind mixed with that same sick worry of before.

 _Spot spot spot..._

"Oh-kay," he drawled, keeping his voice lighter than the sudden roiling in his stomach suggested. "Just gotta… keep looking, I guess."

 _Guess guess guess..._

He ventured across the Plane, not in the least bit surprised when nothing seemed to change. Even Black maintained the same distance away even though he was moving opposite of her. Huh. So he was stuck in this section. Which meant whatever he was looking for was here.

With a thump he sat down, legs crossed and tapping long fingers against his knee. "Shiro?" he whispered then, too quiet for the echo to pick it up. "Are… are you here? We… we really need you."

And as if summoned there was sudden burst of light to Lance's left and he shot to his feet as the black and purple glow swirled, revealing the same shadowed figure he'd seen of Shiro when they'd come here a few days ago.

Unlike himself and the others, who had appeared tangible if glowing, Shiro was transparent and his image was flickering like a bad television signal. Still, this close Lance could make his features this time; the thick scar, the mop of white fluff and the buzzed haircut he hadn't seen in months.

But more than that there was a softness, a gentleness to the smile and charcoal eyes that had been absent as of late, a sincerity and strength that made you want to listen rather than because you had to. Lance had almost forgotten what that felt like.

"Shiro," he breathed, rooted to the spot and realizing a tick later he was actually physically stuck, as though the universe was telling him no further.

Why? What was going on?

"Lance," called the figure, his voice echoing with a power all its own. His lips turned up. "You found me."

"Were… were you lost?" The words spilled from his lips without any thought and Lance frowned at them as though wondering where they had come from.

Shiro chuckled. "Yes. And no."

His humor faded after a second and he looked over his shoulder although only the Plane stretched out behind him. "We don't have much time."

"Time?" Lance repeated, feeling like a parrot and the Plane echoed it back. "Shiro, what is this? What's happening? _How_ are you here when Black only took me? Is this really you? What's going on? What were you trying to tell me before?"

Shiro held up a hand to quell the questions and Lance fell silent.

"Lance, I–"

He broke off with a wince, doubling over and clutching his stomach.

"Shiro!" Lance tried once more to go to him but something was keeping him firmly in place just yards away.

 _Shiro! Shiro! Shiro!…_ Even his echo sounded scared

"That's not me," Shiro ground out. "Shiro. He's not me."

"What are you talking about? Shiro–"

 _Shiro Shiro Shiro..._

"Lance, listen to me." Shiro looked up from his near crouch, eyes nearly glowing as starlight from behind filled his form. "That's not me. At the Castle. I'm–"

He moaned again and this time when he regained himself there was a dark substance dripping from his nose.

Blood.

 _Dios_ what was happening?

"It's not me," Shiro repeated, a desperate tinge to his tone. "I'm a prisoner. Of Ha–"

"Haggar?" Lance filled in as Shiro dropped to his knees, horror spreading across his face as more blood dripped down Shiro's. "Shiro!"

 _Shiro! Shiro! Shiro! ..._

"Don't know where," Shiro choked out, and _Dios,_ blood was running down his chin now. "Escaped h-here but… my body."

"I don't–"

"Cl-clone," Shiro stuttered. "That Shiro is…"

He flickered then, disappearing for the briefest moment and then reappearing while Lance screamed his name in terror.

"C-can't stay. Dr-druids…"

Lance wasn't entirely sure what was happening still, his mind circling on what he was seeing and hearing and still not sure how to process all of it. But what he did know was that _this_ was their Shiro and he was lost and in pain.

"We'll find you!" he promised, voice breaking as Shiro flickered again. "Sh-Shiro! We'll find you! We'll save you!"

 _You you you..._

And Shiro offered him a smile then as a tear traced his cheek along with the blood. "I know."

He flickered once more and was gone.

Lance stood there, chest heaving like he'd just sprinted for a mile, hands trembling at his sides and feeling a wetness on his own face and a sting to his eyes.

Shiro.

Shiro was… was in the hands of the Galra? Again? And the person walking around the Castle, wearing Shiro's face and using his voice that was… a clone? A clone designed to do what exactly?

And despite the fact they had apparently been living with this clone for months, treating him as though he was Shiro, loving him like he was their pseudo-brother and monikered 'Space Dad,' all Lance could think of right now was the _wrongness_ that had been cropping up more and more and the fact that right now, the team had no idea that they had a wolf in their midst.

This time Lance did puke, although it disappeared without a trace through the cloud floor and he felt Black's worry press in on him.

"We have to go back," he gasped. "N-now, Black!"

Because Shiro had said something about Druids. Wherever he was, whatever they were doing to him – and _Dios,_ why did this happen to Shiro again? Hadn't he escaped from hell already? – there were Druids involved and if that was the case then it meant Haggar and Haggar was tied to this clone version of Shiro and if she found out that Shiro had contacted Lance then… then…

Then the entire team was in danger. Haggar could order her clone to hurt them, to kill them. Lance had no idea what her endgame was, especially now that Voltron had sided with Lotor and half of the Galra forces, but it couldn't be good. And if she thought her clone was compromised there was no telling what she would do. And his team, his family… they'd be slaughtered without ever knowing why.

He stumbled his way to the Black Lion and up into her cockpit, throwing himself into the chair. "Hurry! Bring us back!"

The Lion roared out her agreement and he felt her desperation and fear as starkly as his own. He clung to it as she charged headlong back the way they came.

What was likely only a minute but felt like hours Lance was being jolted back into his body and if he'd felt unsteady on the Plane he felt downright shaky now, limbs trembling and sweat beading his forehead.

Black thrummed through him and Lance forced jell-o like legs to support him. "It's going to be okay, girl," he comforted, praying it wasn't a false comfort. "We'll… we'll get him back. It's going to be okay. I just… I gotta talk to Allura. Tell her… tell her…"

Tell her that Shiro wasn't himself. Literally. And do so before Haggar caught wind of what had just happened and decided to turn her – robot? What _was_ this Shiro? Was he even still human? – creation upon the team.

He propelled himself as quick as he could down Black's ramp, heartbeat thudding in his ears as he crossed the great expanse of the hangar, feeling almost like he was out of his body himself. Where had he last seen Allura? His brain felt like pea soup as it went in circles on 'clone clone clone'.

Allura. Right. She had fixed the castle's systems following her excursion into the white hole and she and Lotor had retired to the common lounge to go over a series of alchemic texts Coran had unearthed. His eyes narrowed. He still didn't care for Lotor in the slightest and would prefer not to wave this in front of him, but if it came down to it… between Haggar and Lotor he'd side with the prince every time.

"You look like you're in a hurry."

The words brought Lance up short, so quick he nearly tripped over his feet and managed only to catch himself with an ungraceful flailing.

"Sh-Shiro!"

For Shiro was leaning against the wall just outside the Black Lion's hangar, muscled arms crossed over his broad chest and an expression Lance couldn't quite place.

Oh _Dios._ Had he been found out already? No. No. Deep breath. Play along. He could get out of this.

"H-hey," he stuttered, waving a hand. "I was just… um… having a chat. With Black."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," Lance pasted on a grin. "You know, checking on all my girls. That white hole was not nice to them, you know? I know Allura got them all up and running again but just wanted to make sure they were okay."

"That's very kind of you."

"Just looking out for the team," Lance said, taking a step backward as Shiro pushed off the wall and came towards him. "Speaking of. I have to go talk to Allura. Broadsword stuff. Gotta keep up on it, you know?"

And as soon as he said it Lance realized his bayard was not on him. It was with his armor as it always was. After all, there was no need to remain armed inside the safety of the castle.

Except… his eyes flickered to Shiro's prosthetic. Someone was _always_ armed and he couldn't even muster up a mental snort at his terrible pun as reality sank in that he was severely disadvantaged here.

"Oh, absolutely," Shiro said. "It's incredibly important for all members of Team Voltron to remain at their best."

"Absolutely," Lance echoed, taking another step backwards. "So, um, see you later. Have a good talk with Black."

"Actually," and suddenly Shiro was right next to him, prosthetic clamping down on Lance's shoulder with a bruising force, "I think I want to talk with you."

Lance rolled his shoulder trying to dislodge Shiro's grip but if anything the fingers only tightened. His heart leapt into his throat.

"Shiro, you're hurting me," he said quietly, hoping, praying, he was blowing this out of proportion. She couldn't know yet. She couldn't.

"I know."

It was all the warning Lance had as the prosthetic whirred to life and those metal fingers were burning fire into his shoulder.

Lance screamed in both surprise and pain, but instinct took in over the confusion and fear and he rammed his left elbow back straight into Shiro's stomach and dropped down the second the grip loosened the slightest bit as Shiro was propelled back with an "oof!" Whatever this clone was made of it still _acted_ human and a hit to the solar plexus was nothing to scoff at.

Wasting no time, Lance took off in a dead sprint, right shoulder crying and he didn't dare look at it, the scent of burnt flesh already turning his stomach. Nothing a cryo-pod couldn't fix, right? Oh _Dios,_ he hoped so. He didn't want Shiro's fingers branded into him for the rest of his life.

Assuming that is that he lived past the next few minutes.

"ALLURA!" he screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran. "HELP!"

But Black's hangar was the furthest from any of the living portions of the castle and unless someone had gotten lost there would be no one within hearing distance for at least another couple minutes.

He just had to evade Shiro until then, until he could make it to someone who was armed and could take down a rampaging clone armed with one of the most deadly weapons in the universe. Lance wished he could say he could try and actually fight Shiro, but his hand-to-hand, while improved under Shiro – the clone's, he sobbed – tutelage, it was nowhere near enough to actually stop Shiro.

Lance was fast. Not as fast as Keith but he was pretty quick and now usually led the team when it came to timed races during training, every now and then being upstaged by Pidge if it involved any type of climbing course and Shiro if it covered longer distances than a mile or so.

So Shiro had either been holding back or Lance was going slower than he thought, because he'd only just reached the end of the corridor when he heard Shiro yell and the next second a body collided into him in a tackle.

Lance hit the ground hard with a yelp, barely managing to get his hands beneath him to catch his fall. He kicked his legs out, feeling them collide with Shiro and the harsh grunt the larger male made at the impact, but they weren't enough to dislodge Shiro's sheer size.

"ALLURA!" Lance screamed again, but his shout was broken off as he felt Shiro's metal hand descend on the back of his head and then smash it down.

Lance felt his nose snap at the impact and he screamed this time in pain and blood flowed down, just like it had to the Shiro in the Astral Plane.

"Quiet," the figure behind him commanded, ramming Lance's head into the floor again for good measure and Lance choked on the next cry as stars exploded in front of his eyes.

"Sh-Shiro…"

"Come now. We both know that's not true."

And although Lance had pretty much come to that conclusion the moment Shiro had lit up burning fingers to scald his flesh, hearing it confirmed made what little breath he had whoosh out.

A deep sigh then and he could feel Shiro shift back although the hand remained firmly clamped against his head, forcing his face into the cold metal of the hallway. "I hadn't wanted it to be like this," and there was true regret in those tones.

"Then stop," Lance mumbled into the floor. "Shiro, stop. You're… you're still _you."_

Because Galra puppet or not, this Shiro had helped them. He'd fought alongside them, encouraged them, still made charcoal out of the most basic kitchen tasks. He had bled with them, cried with them, supported them. He'd taught Lance close combat, he'd seen him giving Hunk pointers on his strength and sitting, eyes glazed, as Pidge had excitedly talked about one of her projects. He'd piloted the Black Lion, formed Voltron with them.

All of that had to mean _something._

"Up until a few minutes ago I was," came the response. "I… I knew something wasn't right. I felt it. But… but now I know. And… And I'm sorry, Lance. Really. But this isn't my decision anymore."

The hand tightened in his hair and Lance felt himself being lifted and reflexive tears sprang to his eyes at the hold as Shiro lifted him up and up, standing with him until Lance was dangling several inches off the ground and head locked fully forward so he couldn't see the figure behind him, neck acking as all of his weight hung from it. He swung his legs back, but an arm intercepted them and caught the right, twisting it in his grip. Lance whimpered, grateful at least that it wasn't the metal one that for sure would have snapped it in two.

"I've been compromised," Shiro said, but Lance knew this time it wasn't actually Shiro speaking. Not like before where whatever this clone was he was still made up of _Shiro._ "But I can fix this by eliminating the threat to my position here."

Eliminate the threat. Lance swallowed thickly. _He_ was the threat.

"Don't let her control you," he pleaded as Shiro started walking and Lance dangled helplessly in front of him. "Shiro! You're still you! _Please!"_

"Quiet," Shiro hissed and Lance found his head making contact with one of the hallway walls, the impact leaving his ears ringing.

"Shiro, _please,"_ Lance tried again, bringing his hands up to try and pry the cold metal fingers off his scalp. They latched about but his tugging did nothing and he hated that when it mattered he couldn't do _anything_ to fight back.

His face met the wall once more in answer.

Shiro was walking quicker now and Lance realized with a start they were actually heading towards the interior of the castle. Still a floor too far down to be on the main level, but closer.

"ALL-" His shout was cut off as Shiro's other hand came around and clamped over his mouth. He bit futilely at it, but from this angle all he was doing was gnashing his teeth. "Shiro," he mumbled into it, sound nearly swallowed. "S-stop."

Black spots were dancing in his vision at the lack of air as his mouth was sealed and his nose was slugglishly bleeding and cutting off most of his ability to breathe in that way. If it hadn't been for Shiro's cruel hold on his hair his head would be lolling to the side.

Shiro walked them to one of the many doors that led to the staircases throughout the castle and paused there.

"It will need to look like an accident," Shiro thought aloud.

He couldn't mean…

Lance renewed his struggles as Shiro brought them to the top of the staircase, that stretched down and down into the bowels of the castle and towards the engine room. Lance didn't go here often at all, but occasionally he would on an errand Coran assigned him. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility for him to be here, for him to have missed a step and just… fallen to his death.

Shiro's hand left his mouth and Lance took in a gulping breath of air, but the moment of relief was short lived as Shiro merely shifted to grip Lance's leg and hoist him into the air above his head.

"S-Shiro, stop," Lance begged, craning his head to catch sight of Shiro's face. The charcoal eyes, normally shining with an inner warmth, had gone dead. They met his own ocean blue though and he saw the barest flicker of confusion, of regret and loathing, before they hardened once more.

"You should hope the fall snaps your neck," Shiro told him conversationally as though they were discussing the weather. "For I'll need to come down and fix the burn marks. You won't want to be alive for that."

" _Dios,_ Shiro, stop. _Please._ Fight this. Fight her. Shiro–"

"Number Three? Number One? What in Alaaran is going on?"

Lance almost stopped breathing out of sheer relief. For standing at the base of the stairs that led to the engine room was Coran, jewelled eyes wide with confusion.

"C-Coran," Lance managed. "It's not–"

Shiro didn't wait any longer. He threw Lance forward over his head and Lance smashed into one of the top stairs with a loud cry, shrieking louder as he felt something _snap_ in his arm as he landed on it.

The world turned into a dizzying blur then as he tumbled down and he had the briefest thought that he really was going to die when his head struck wrong and his neck was broken. At least though Coran knew. Coran knew and he would warn the others and–

A pair of arms caught Lance before he'd completed impact number three and he crashed into a sturdy form with a breathless cry.

"Number Three! Lance! Lance!"

Coran was shouting at him but everything sounded muted as though he were listening from underwater. He managed one last slow blink, taking in Coran's worried, blurred face directly above his own, before everything faded out.

xxx

Lance awoke to the sensation of someone rubbing his arms and the sensation of a thick fleece about his shoulders that combated the cold that had seeped into him.

Cryo-pod, he recognized the symptoms. In them way, way too often. They were always telling him to be more careful and last time Shiro had–

"Sh-Shiro," he gasped, eyes flying open from the exhaustive state he always felt from the pod. "Sh-Shiro!"

"Whoa, whoa, easy there," came Hunk's low, comforting tones and the movement on his arms stopped to instead wrap about him in a tight hug. "Hang on a moment, _hermano."_

"H-Hunk?" Lance chattered, sinking into the embrace. "Sh-Shiro–"

"It's okay. Just take a minute for me, okay? Breathe. Everything is… everything is okay."

Hunk certainly didn't sound like everything was okay but Lance didn't press for the moment, soaking up the warmth his best friend offered and steadying his own thoughts. Shiro had tried to kill him. Except that wasn't Shiro. It was a clone and the real Shiro was a prisoner of Haggar's once more.

"What happened?" Lance asked after a few more minutes where the shivers fully disappeared and Hunk released him from his tight hold.

"We are not quite certain," Allura's accented tones cut in and Lance peered around Hunk's shoulder, surprised to find the whole group minus Shiro and Lotor gathered there. "But…" she crossed the expanse and Lance's eyes widened as she pulled him into a tight hug. "I am most grateful you are all right."

That seemed to be the cue as suddenly Pidge was there, pressing into his side and cold glasses somehow still felt through the cryo-pod suit and Coran was there, pressing a kiss to the top of his head and murmuring quietly.

"Where's Shiro?" Lance asked quietly once Allura pulled away and the rest followed suit.

She nodded her chin to the right and Lance followed her gaze. Shiro was suspended in a cryo-pod a few down from his own, face slack.

"Coran alerted us to a situation involving yourself and Shiro," Allura explained. "He said that Shiro had made to…" she shook her head, as if unable to say it. "Myself and Lotor were able to incapacitate him thanks to the warning when he came into the lounge and we placed him in cryo-freeze until we could speak to you, Lance." Her expression hardened. "What happened? Why did Shiro…?"

"He's not himself," Lance said quietly and Pidge snorted.

"I'll say. Shiro, he… he tried to kill Allura, Lance. He… he tried to kill you." Her hands fisted in the fabric of his suit and he pressed a hand to the top of her head.

"No. I mean he really isn't himself," Lance clarified. "That…" he turned his gaze back to the unconscious figure. "That's a clone."

Silence reigned for all of two seconds before everyone started talking at once before Allura snapped for quiet and everyone fell silent.

"Lance, explain. Please," her voice wavered on the last word.

Lance filled them in on all he had learned from both his trip to the Astral Plane and the bits and pieces he'd gathered when the person controlling the clone had taken full control.

"He's still Shiro," he said quietly of the clone, remembering how he'd seen the regret right before he'd been thrown. "He's different, yeah, but he's still him. Just… just someone else started pulling the strings and he couldn't… couldn't stop them."

"A Shiro he may be but he is not _our_ Shiro," Allura declared. "We will sort out all of this later when our Shiro is safe with us once again." Lance inclined his head. She was right. This Shiro, whoever he was, was not their Shiro. He wasn't a bad person, Lance didn't think so, but right now they had the real one to find.

The real one who was a prisoner of the Galrans, of Haggar. Who was at the Druids' mercy and had been so for months and months. They would find him and save him. Lance had promised and he _never_ broke a promise.

"We'll find him," he said aloud and heads nodded around the room, grim smiles of determination mirrored back at him.

It was time to start looking.

xxx

It took several weeks – more weeks than it ever should have – but at long last the Paladins found themselves storming a Galra medical facility hidden deep underground.

They cleared out Galrans and Druids and sentries alike, each one falling to the combined fury and desperation of a family praying that _this_ was it. That this time their intel was correct, that this time they would find their Shiro.

They'd come to a long stretch of hallway now and all of the Paladins plus Keith, who had come the moment he learned that Shiro was in Galra hands, were throwing open doors and shouting for Shiro.

There were plenty of other poor souls who had been taken prisoner turned science experiment for Haggar and despite their desire to find Shiro they were still Paladins and as such were pausing for each captive they found.

Lance though had only encountered empty rooms and he far, far ahead of the rest of the group. There was something guiding him, a presence that he identified a few ticks later as Black, her essence wrapping about his mind and steering him towards one of the furthest doors on the right.

Lance let her and this time, instead of throwing open the door, he found his hand trembling on the handle because _this_ was it.

He pushed it open and stepped into the dimly lit purple room, eyes drawn immediately to a metal table in the center and the figure upon it, hooked up under so many wires and tubes it was difficult to make out who exactly it was.

"Shiro?" Lance whispered, stepping further in with a quiet reverence. Because while the figure on the table was slimmer than the one he remembered, hair grown long and a faint beard covering his chin, there was no mistaking the soft charcoal eyes as they opened at the address and the smile that pulled up pale lips.

"Lance," Shiro murmured as Lance let out a breathy sob, stumbling the last few feet over.

"Shiro," Lance sobbed, pressing his hands in amongst the wires and grasping onto the cold flesh hand. "Shiro!"

"Lance," Shiro repeated softly, tears forming in his eyes too. "You found me."

xxx

 **Author's Notes:**

Ta da! Got this out of my head and ended it on a happier note than originally planned. (It was just going to be the team realizing they needed to go find their Shiro, but I wanted a happy ending for our Black Paladin and really liked bringing back the "found" aspect).

I'm sure I'm not the only one hoping for something like this come canon. No idea if we'll be quite so lucky to get some Lance whump/angst out of it, but I really do think Lance will play a key role in uncovering Kuron.

If you enjoyed please do drop a comment with what you liked! A comment is the best way to tell an author thank you for writing and I truly appreciate them. Thanks ever so much!


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